W.R. Hall Building

Red Lodge Commercial Historic District

By The Montana National Register Sign Program

W. R. Hall Building Still image capture of the facade of the W.R. Hall Building, Red Lodge, Montana. Image information drawn from related images in the Red Lodge Commercial Historic District files at the State Historic Preservation Office. Information is not recorded on print verso. b&w print. Source: Official records of the Montana State Historic Preservation Office, Helena, Montana Creator: Unidentified photographer Date: 1985

This fine example of masonry architecture, with its unusually preserved storefront and recessed entry, appears almost as it did in 1900 when Walter Hall opened his first-floor grocery. Sandstone banding, corbelled arches, and original stained glass lend elegance to the simple façade. The second floor, connected to the building next door, functioned as a lodge hall used by various organizations, including the Red Lodge Labor Union and the I.O.O.F. In 1909, the ground floor housed the fashionable New York Store, and from 1910 to 1918 saloons occupied the commercial space. During Prohibition the ground floor served a more sedate clientele as a soft drink and ice cream parlor.